Habitat: Polar bears are
native to the Arctic Circle. Polar
bears live along the cold Arctic shores
and on sea ice. Polar bears are currently
found in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland
and Norway.

Diet: Polar bears are the
world's largest land carnivore. Polar
bears primarily eat seals and fish.
When seals are not plentiful polar
bears may settle for other sources
of food that can include: reindeer,
small rodents, waterfowl, shellfish,
fish, eggs, kelp, berries and even
human garbage. Occasionally, polar
bears will hunt beluga whales and
adult walrus. Polar bears tend to
swallow large chunks of food rather
than chewing. Polar bears have adapted
to their environment and do not require
a fresh water source, they are able
to get water from the prey they eat.

Senses: Polar bears have an
amazing sense of smell. They can detect
a carcass from nearly 20 miles away
using their sense of smell. Polar
bears have keen eyesight and hearing.

Social Structure: Polar bears
are social creatures, except when
mating.Two male polar bears may
fight over a female polar bear.

Did
You Know?

The
polar bear's scientific
name means "maritime
bear".

Description: Polar bears
have a thick fur coat with tow layers,
there is a thick undercoat that is
topped by guard hairs. The fur consists
of transparent hollow hair that reflects
the UV light from the sun. The polar
bear has black skin, which absorbs
the heat from the sun. The hollow
fur gives the appearance of being
white, which acts to camouflage the
bear in the snow. A polar bear's fur
is oily and water repellent. Polar
bears have a thick layer of blubber.
The blubber provides buoyancy in the
water and insulation to maintain the
bears body temperature. Polar bears
have big paws that measure up to 12
inches across, the paws are slightly
webbed to assist with their swimming.
The paw pads have a rough surface
that prevents the polar bear from
slipping on the ice. The polar bear
has sharp, thick and curved claws,
that measure more than two inches
in length. Polar bears have long tapered
bodies, with a long snout.

Gestation: A polar bear carries
its young for approximately 8 months,
unlike many other mammals there is
a delayed implantation of the embryo
during the gestation period.

Cubs: Polar bear cubs will
stay with their mother for up to 2-2.5
years.

Sexual Maturity: Female polar
bears mature from between the ages
of 4-5. Male polar bears do not sexually
reproduce until 5-6 years of age.
The mating pair will typically stay
together for about a week.

Birth: Polar bears give
birth to one to three cubs.
The newborn polar bears weigh
approximately 1 lb at birth.
The newborn cubs are 12-14 inches
in length.

Did
You Know?

Polar
bears are strong swimmers
and can stay submerged
for two minutes at a
time.

Athleticism: Polar bears swim
using their large front paws to propel
themselves through the water and their
back legs to steer. Polar bears have
been known to swim 100 miles at a
time. Polar bears can swim an average
of 6 mph.

Behavior: Pregnant polar bears
make dens in earth and snowbanks,
where they'll stay through the winter.
Pregnant polar bears may live off
fat reserves for up to 9 months.

Life Span: The average life
span of the polar bear is 20 - 30
years. Eight of the nineteen polar
bear sub-populations are decline.
Humans are the only predator of the
polar bear, however the biggest threat
to polar bears is their declining
habitat.